For five years, I was the best-kept secret of high-profile CEO Caleb Pierce.

On the surface, I was his most trusted Chief Operating Officer.

In private, I was his lover—the woman he'd sworn he'd marry. He was obsessed with me, claiming I was his everything, the only one he wanted in his arms every night.

Then, I got pregnant. I was so excited to tell him we were going to start a family.

But when I turned on the TV, he was on one knee, proposing to another woman, the socialite Sabrina Clark. The whole world was witnessing his romantic gesture.

"It's taken me so long to find my perfect wife," he said to the camera, his voice thick with emotion. "Sabrina, you are my partner, my one and only."

Her joyful "yes" shattered my soul, and my world collapsed.

The pain of his betrayal was so sharp that I felt a terrifying, wrenching cramp.

Then, there was blood.

I lost our baby.

When I woke up in the hospital, I dialed a number I hadn't called in five years.

"Brother," I sobbed, the words barely escaping. "The strategic marriage... with Sebastian Thorne? I'll do it."

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1

"Juliet, you're extremely weak right now."

The doctor sighed, his eyes on the report in his hands.

The words on it blurred into an angry red haze.

My baby was gone.

Just like that. A ghost in my womb.

"You'll need at least three months to recover."

I nodded, my voice hoarse. "I know."

A horrifying emptiness hollowed me out. My soul felt like it had been ripped in two. I wanted to scream, but I was just too tired. All I wanted was to crawl back to the golden cage Caleb had built for me.

I had just pushed open the door to the penthouse when I heard his familiar footsteps. He was back, and the cloying scent of another woman’s perfume clung to him.

My stomach churned.

"Baby, did you miss me?" Caleb leaned in to kiss me, but my body instinctively flinched away.

"I did," I forced a smile, the words feeling like acid on my tongue.

"What's wrong? You look so pale." He frowned, but the smile quickly returned to his face. "I booked a table at 'Crown of Stars.' I'm taking you to try their chef's special tonight."

Crown of Stars?

Confusion cut through my exhaustion. I despised that restaurant's gaudy style. He'd invited me there last year to celebrate the company going public, and I'd refused. I clearly remembered Caleb hating it too, claiming its pretentious dishes turned his stomach.

So... who was it that liked it?

The cloying sweetness of her perfume mingled with the post-miscarriage nausea until I thought I would be sick.

I gently pushed him away. "I'm a little tired..."

"Tired from work?" He immediately moved closer, his hands already starting to unbutton my coat. "Let your future husband spoil you."

Future husband.

The words were a dagger twisting in my heart.

I grabbed his hand, my grip surprisingly firm. "Caleb, when are we having our engagement ceremony? When are you going to make me Mrs. Pierce?"

He froze, the smile on his face instantly hardening.

He pushed me away and took two steps back. "The timing isn't right, Juliet. The company needs stability."

The same damn excuse.

"A ceremony won't change anything between us," he said, his tone turning flippant and sharp as he noticed my distant expression. "Besides, you run everything that matters. You're the queen of this empire in all but name."

A bitter smile stretched my lips, more painful than a sob.

The queen in all but name? A shadow partner. High society doesn't care about secrets. They only care about the woman on a man's arm, the one standing in the spotlight.

"I'm going to take a shower," Caleb said, his mask of false tenderness back in place. "I'll make it up to you later."

I watched him disappear behind the bathroom door as the sound of running water started. A dark impulse pulled me toward his study, toward the encrypted folder he had always forbidden me from touching.

Today, I was going to see what he was really hiding.

Inside was a background check report and a dusty business plan. I opened it with trembling hands, and photos of Sabrina Clark spilled across the desk. Blonde hair, green eyes, and that familiar brand of perfume he was wearing.

Her style... it looked so much like mine.

I picked up a plan written in Caleb's familiar handwriting: "Sabrina, my love. Juliet is just a placeholder. When you are ready, you will be my one and only wife."

The floor fell out from beneath me.

I remembered the "surprised" look in his eyes when we first met; the "rewards" he gave me after every successful project; his "gentle" caresses that had lasted for five years.

It was all because I was a perfect fit for his mold of the "perfect wife." I was just a stand-in.

My fingers trembled so much I could barely hold the documents. I forced myself to put everything back in its place, erasing any trace I had been there.

I had just returned to the bedroom when the bathroom door opened. Caleb emerged, fresh from his shower, a towel slung low around his waist.

"Come here, baby." He held out his hand, his smile filled with desire. "I can't relax without you."

I watched him perform, my own heart a knot of agony. I wanted to scream, to tear his lies apart, but the exhaustion was a physical weight, and the ache in my chest was unbearable.

He pulled me onto the bed and only then noticed my numb expression.

"Your eyes look so empty," he frowned, feigning concern. "Are you really not feeling well? Should I call my private doctor?"

I opened my mouth, but before I could speak, his expression suddenly sharpened into the focused mask he wore for important video calls.

A woman's voice, sickly sweet and seductive, purred through the phone. "Caleb... I miss you, darling."

It was the same voice from the news today, the one that had accepted his proposal. It was her. Sabrina.

"It's an urgent work thing." Caleb immediately stood and started dressing, not even glancing at me. "You're not feeling well, so get some rest."

He didn't even bother to invent a new lie. The door slammed shut.

I clenched my teeth and forced my weak body to call a cab. My legs were shaking so badly I could barely stand, but desperation drove me forward.

I followed him all the way to the private club where we first met.

From a distance, I saw Caleb standing on the terrace. A blonde woman stepped out of the shadows and threw herself into his arms.

"Caleb, my love," her voice, carried on the night wind, was triumphant and possessive.

"I'm ready to become Mrs. Pierce and bring you everything you need."

Pure ambition and satisfaction bloomed on Caleb's face.

He lifted Sabrina high into the air, spinning her around like a child. That pure, unguarded joy was a sight that shattered what was left of my heart.

"Sabrina! My muse!" His voice trembled in the night. "I promise, you'll get everything you've ever wanted!"

I had never seen him so unguarded, so… happy. He wrapped his arm around Sabrina's waist, as if showing off a rare treasure, and strode briskly toward the club's private suite.

I collapsed onto a bench outside the terrace, the tears finally breaking free.

For five years, I thought I was the love of his life, but I wasn't even worthy of a happy spin in his arms.

A tearing pain shot through my chest, as if the very bond between us was physically snapping. The emptiness of losing my child and the pain of his betrayal hit me all at once. I cried until my throat was raw, until I had shed my last tear.

My mind flashed to the encrypted phone I hadn't touched in years, the one my family used to contact me.

With a trembling hand, I dialed the number.

"Juliet?" A familiar voice answered immediately, filled with surprise and concern. "You're finally calling us!"

"Brother," my voice broke, "I'll do it. The strategic marriage you mentioned... with the business titan."

There was silence on the other end, then an urgent question: "Did he hurt you? What did that bastard Caleb do to you?"

I closed my eyes as fresh tears rolled down my cheeks.

"When you insisted on being with a self-made CEO, I told you he wasn't worthy of you," my brother's voice was filled with suppressed rage. "The heiress of the Sterling family does not suffer this kind of humiliation!"

"But our love..." I choked out.

"Love?" he scoffed. "The man our family chose for you is a thousand times more powerful than that piece of trash." His voice softened. "I have the perfect man for you—Sebastian Thorne. He's a true titan, a living legend whose influence rivals the oldest dynasties. He will never let you suffer."

I nodded through my sobs. "Okay."

"Three days from now," I announced, my voice trembling but firm, "at the family's annual gala. I agree."

After ending the call, I dragged my exhausted body back to the penthouse and began to pack my few belongings. In five years, I had accumulated almost nothing of my own.

Finally, I took out the pregnancy test. It had once been a joy I had hidden away when I discovered I was pregnant. Now it was a cold, glaring reminder of the life I had lost. I placed it on Caleb's pillow along with my hospital discharge papers—a silent, final farewell.

He didn't come home that night.

The next morning, I dragged my suitcase to the office, ready to submit my resignation to HR.

As I reached the executive floor, I saw a sight that made my heart stop. Caleb and Sabrina were standing hand in hand at the entrance of the conference room, looking like a perfect couple, as all the executives congratulated them.

"Finally! Is the CEO settling down?"

"She's so beautiful!"

"They're a match made in heaven!"

I stood in a corner, feeling like the whole world was laughing at me. Liam, the marketing director who had fought alongside me, walked over.

"Juliet!" he said excitedly. "Do you know when the CEO got together with her?"

A frantic rhythm hammered against my ribs.

"The CEO always favored you. You were the closest to him," Liam gossiped in a low voice. "We all thought he might choose you!"

The color drained from my face. "So... everyone saw it."

"Of course!" Liam laughed. "But it looks like we were all wrong."

Yes, even I was wrong about myself.

Just then, my eyes met Caleb's from across the room. He immediately looked away, his gaze evasive.

"Juliet?" a sweet voice said behind me.

I turned to see Sabrina walking toward me, a triumphant smile on her face.

"I heard there's an executive in the company who has a similar taste to mine," she said, looking me up and down. "Seeing you today, it really is true." Every word was like a knife.

"Thank you for taking care of Caleb all these years." Her voice was pure sugar, but the words were venom.

Then, she deliberately touched the necklace around her neck. It was the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace Caleb had promised to have custom-made for me, a symbol of the future mistress of the Pierce Group.

"Oh!" Sabrina suddenly pointed at my neck. "You have a mole there too? What a coincidence!"

I froze, staring at the beauty mark on her collarbone in the exact same spot as mine. Hers was natural. Mine was a small star he’d drawn on my skin with a pen right after we got together, claiming he wanted to leave his own, exclusive mark on me.

So... even that was a lie. He had never loved me.

I looked at Caleb across the room, my eyes turning red. He avoided my gaze and pulled Sabrina into his arms.

"Alright," his voice rang throughout the floor, "now that our engagement is public, it's time you got to know the company better." He glanced at me, his eyes cold as ice. "Juliet is a capable subordinate. Nothing more. She's irrelevant."

Sabrina's smile grew wider. "Of course. Everyone can tell the difference between the real mistress and an impostor."

She tilted her head up and kissed Caleb on the lips, asserting her claim on him in front of everyone.

After the kiss, Caleb, flushed and proud, addressed the executives. "Everyone! I'd like to introduce my future wife—Sabrina! We will be holding our engagement ceremony soon. From now on, she will be in charge of all matters concerning our European market expansion."

In that moment, everyone in the room turned to look at me.

My blood ran cold.

The European market expansion. My project. The one Caleb had entrusted to me four years ago. I had planned the routes, developed the strategies, led the team. I had bled for every dollar of profit that project made.

And now, in front of everyone, he was giving all the credit to Sabrina?

The executives looked at me with a mixture of confusion and sympathy. They all knew who had bled for this company.

I swallowed the feeling of my heart being torn apart and nodded. "Of course." My voice was terrifyingly calm.